Oldest US World War II Vet Passes Away at 110

May 5, 2016

(NEW YORK) — The oldest verified World War II veteran in the U.S. passed away Tuesday at the age of 110.

Frank Levingston enlisted in the U.S. Army on Oct. 6, 1942, according to the National Archives, less than one year after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor propelled the U.S. into World War II. Levingston has seen 19 presidents hold office during his lifetime.

“He felt the obligation to give to the country whatever he possibly could, and he was very excited about it,” Jee Levingston, Frank’s nephew, told ABC News Thursday. “He gave it his very best.”

Levingston told ABC News that his uncle was born on Nov. 13, 1905, in Cotton Valley, Louisiana, and that both of Frank’s parents died when Frank was very young.

“He was the backbone of this family,” Levingston said. “He never married, had no children, but he took great pride in taking care of his sister’s and brother’s children. He was an individual who was able to mingle with people of all levels, from the uneducated to those with the highest of level of education.”

Levingston received a letter from the White House thanking him for his service on his 110th birthday. Last year he visited Washington, D.C., for the 74th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, and laid a wreath at the National World War II Memorial.

Levingston said the funeral will be held next Tuesday at the Wesley Grove CME Church in his hometown of Cotton Valley, Louisiana.